When classes let out for holidays last June, one parent didn't want Cedar Valley Waldorf School's strong community spirit to wilt over the hot summer months. So she took matters into her own hands - quite literally.
Jennifer Thompson stitched together a dedicated group of volunteers of 18 moms who met weekly to create 35 Healing Heart Waldorf Dolls through July and August.
"A big part of our school is teaching through example the amazing effect one person can have on a community," said Thompson, adding she had always wanted the chance to learn the skill of doll making.
The dolls will go to local social worker Allison Clarke, who primarily handles guardianship and adoption cases. Clarke will in turn offer one to a child to keep, when he or she needs comfort and reassurance during crisis.
Thompson, who is head of the parent initiative council at CVWS, initially considered sending the dolls overseas to underprivileged children but quickly realized they could do as much good right here at home.
"There are many children in our community who could benefit from receiving a healing doll to call their own," she said. "When a situation arises where a child is in great need of love, security, or something to simply call their own, we can pass along a handmade doll and hopefully help in a time of difficult transition for that child."
As a social worker with the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFC) for Squamish, Furry Creek, Britannia Beach and Whistler, Clarke couldn't agree more.
"The dolls will go to children who are facing some kind of a transition and in need of something to cuddle. These dolls are really unique and while very young children may not understand the significance of a handmade doll, the natural materials, colour and texture make them really appealing," Clarke said.
"Once we receive the dolls, it will be our job to tell the child the story about them, that someone made the doll just for them during this time in their life."
Waldorf dolls are traditionally made of wool, cotton and other natural materials, and are based on traditional European doll making methods. A doll's appearance is intentionally simple, which gives the child playing with it room for creativity and imagination, explained Thompson.
"These dolls are meant to be something a child can love and cling to in a difficult time, it can become their confidante or alter ego," she said. "Waldorf literature suggests that not only is a handcrafted doll one of a kind, but it's an individual which carries the spirit of the maker in its stitches and absorbs the spirit of the child who loves it."
